Preseason Profile: Jace Howard has embraced his role as a leader who prioritizes playing defense
The junior guard is one of the longest-tenured players in the program right now.
As part of our preseason coverage ahead of the college basketball season, Maize n Brew will be rolling out player profiles on every scholarship player on the 2023-24 Michigan men’s basketball roster. We’ll take a look at what they did in previous seasons and project how much of an impact we think they’ll have this season.
In this edition, we’ll talk into junior guard Jace Howard.
Before coming to Michigan & what he’s done so far
A three-star small forward, Howard was rated just outside the top-400 on the 247 Composite in the 2020 class, 32nd among recruits from the state of Florida. He committed to Michigan in January of 2020 (to very little surprise).
Howard has played sparingly in his three seasons at Michigan, averaging six minutes a game over 55 career collegiate games. He appeared in 30 games last season — more than his first two seasons combined — and averaged 1.2 points and 0.9 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game. His career-high came in last season’s loss to Penn State, when Howard had six points in 18 minutes.
When Howard does get on the floor in meaningful minutes, it’s usually when Michigan is in foul trouble or when they need a spark defensively. He’s embraced his role, coming in for a few minutes and playing solid defense.
At 6-foot-8 with good foot speed and solid strength, he has the versatility to guard multiple positions. In a limited sample size, he’s been pretty good in transition and has shown he can finish at the rim. He’s clearly a very good athlete whose gotten much stronger since coming to Michigan, which helps him on both ends of the floor.
Quotes from Media Day about Howard
“I know who I am, and I know that’s what I can bring to the team,” Howard said on his defense. “I know that’s a spark I can ignite once I get into the game. If it’s guarding their best player whose a point guard or their Kofi Cockburn, you never know, my assignments get changed from game to game. I feel like that’s what I can bring to the team and help us win. It gets other guys going and I feel like it’s that camaraderie part where we really can start seeing results out there. I feel like I’m best at it.”
Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher’s beef was the nastiest we’ve ever seen from college football coaches
“Just doing what I saw the other leaders before me do,” Howard said on embracing being a leader. “I’ve been telling the young guys what I know, giving them nuggets of little tricks here and there. Stuff like that but also bringing everybody together because we have a new team, we have a lot of new guys.”
Expected role at Michigan this season
Howard has seemed to accept the fact that he’s not going to play very much, and he’s been great in a leadership role with the team. He’s embraced being a glue guy with the Michigan program, which is a great thing.
On this year’s team, Howard could get minutes at the 2 to start the season, especially if George Washington III has to play backup point guard if Jaelin Llewellyn isn’t fully available to start the season. Maybe he plays a little at the 3 if one of Williams, Tray Jackson or Youssef Khayat struggles. Also, when Michigan is in foul trouble, he can give you 4-6 solid minutes while playing good defense and making relatively few mistakes.
One thing that’s always evident after talking to Jace is he’s clearly a super smart guy; you can tell he puts real thought into what he’s going to say. It would not shock me if he ends up as an assistant coach — at Michigan or another program — in a few short years.
Final Thought
“Just doing what I saw the other leaders before me do,” Howard said on embracing being a leader. “I’ve been telling the young guys what I know, giving them nuggets of little tricks here and there. Stuff like that but also bringing everybody together because we have a new team, we have a lot of new guys.”
Expected role at Michigan this season
Howard has seemed to accept the fact that he’s not going to play very much, and he’s been great in a leadership role with the team. He’s embraced being a glue guy with the Michigan program, which is a great thing.
On this year’s team, Howard could get minutes at the 2 to start the season, especially if George Washington III has to play backup point guard if Jaelin Llewellyn isn’t fully available to start the season. Maybe he plays a little at the 3 if one of Williams, Tray Jackson or Youssef Khayat struggles. Also, when Michigan is in foul trouble, he can give you 4-6 solid minutes while playing good defense and making relatively few mistakes.
One thing that’s always evident after talking to Jace is he’s clearly a super smart guy; you can tell he puts real thought into what he’s going to say. It would not shock me if he ends up as an assistant coach — at Michigan or another program — in a few short years.
One thing that’s always evident after talking to Jace is he’s clearly a super smart guy; you can tell he puts real thought into what he’s going to say. It would not shock me if he ends up as an assistant coach — at Michigan or another program — in a few short years.
Howard can give this team good defensive minutes in a pinch, but ultimately he won’t play very much unless this roster is injury-prone. That said, he’s embraced his role as a leader on a team with a lot of new faces.
Get rewarded for reading this article. Download the Autograph app here using referral code “mbrew.”
NEXT UP IN MICHIGAN MEN’S BASKETBALL
- Preseason Profile: Youssef Khayat may be able to crack the rotation
- An improved jump shot could help Terrance Williams II earn minutes
- Michigan basketball’s new approach to situational practices goes over every loss last year
- Pro Blue: Wolverines you can watch in the NBA this season
- Alcohol sales at basketball and hockey games, improvements for football, basketball facilities approved
- Terrance Williams II new shooting form makes him a more ‘confident, willing, and able shooter
